International Day of Older Persons: Ten extraordinary senior citizen record holders

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Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990, 1 October marks the International Day of Older Persons – a day that is both dedicated to the appreciation of older people and to raising awareness about issues that affect the elderly.

To mark the occasion we've put together a list of ten incredible 'oldest' record titles that prove you’re never too old to achieve a world record.

2. Most tattooed senior citizens

Life-partners Charles “Chuck” Helmke and Charlotte Guttenberg from the US both have 97.5% of their bodies covered in tattoos.

Since getting her first tattoo of a butterfly in 2006, Charlotte has spent more than 1,000 hours getting inked.

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3. Oldest person ever

The greatest fully authenticated age to which any human has ever lived is 122 years 164 days by Jeanne Louise Calment (France, 1875–1997).

She led an extremely active life, taking up fencing at 85 years old and still riding a bicycle at 100. She claimed that her key to long life was olive oil, port and chocolate; she gave up smoking at the age of 120.

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4. Largest gathering of centenarians

On 4 Nov 2016, a group of 45 individuals aged 100 or more assembled at Parliament House in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in an event organized by Queensland Community Care Network.

They were attending an early Christmas luncheon hosted by the Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk – Queensland’s state premier and patron of the care home’s 100+ Club.

5. Oldest gymnast

Johanna Quaas (Germany, b. 20 November 1925) is a regular competitor in the amateur competition Landesseniorenspiele, staged in Saxony, Germany.

She performed a floor-and-beam routine on the set of Lo Show dei Record in Rome, Italy, in April 2012 and can still perform cartwheels at the age of 86!

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6. Oldest acrobatic salsa dancer (female)

The oldest female acrobatic salsa dancer is Sarah Paddy Jones (UK, born 1 July 1934) who won the first prize on the Spanish TV talent show Tu Si Que Vales in December 2009.

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7. Oldest artist to illustrate a comic book cover

The oldest artist to illustrate a comic book cover is Ken Bald (USA), who illustrated the cover of Marvel’s Contest of Champions (2015) #2 (Bald Classic Variant) at the age of 95 years 95 days, as verified on 4 November 2015.

8. Oldest wing walker

The oldest wing walker is Thomas Lackey (UK, b. 21 May 1920) who, at the age of 93 years 100 days, completed a wing walk in Northern Ireland, UK, on 29 August 2013.

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9. Oldest competitive sprinter

Competitive sprinter Hidekichi Miyazaki (Japan, b. 22 Sep 1910, right) was 105 years and one day old when he ran in the Kyoto Masters Athletics Autumn Competition in Kyoto, Japan, on 23 Sep 2015.

Mr Miyazaki ran the 100 m race in 42.22 sec.

10. Oldest videogames YouTuber

Featured in the new Guinness World Records 2018 Gamer’s Edition is Shirley Curry (USA, b. 2 April 1936). Aged 81 years 26 days as of 28 April 2017, she has shot hundreds of videos for her self-titled channel, building up an impressive fanbase of 238,449 subscribers and accumulating 6,509,749 views.

The Virginia resident, who was introduced to gaming by her son in the 1990s, mostly streams the action-RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.